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CLEAN WATER 



BY 



J. AETHUE HAMXETT 
EDITOR, THE CHRISTIAN INDEX 



AUTHOE 

A Wonder in the World;" "The 

Christ;" "Things to Eemember; ' ' "Chips 

from the Workshop;" "Opportunity and 

Larger Service;" "Who's Who 

of the General Conference, 

Colored M. E. Church, 

1918;" ''Climbing 

the Hill." 



TO THE GREAT ARMY OF YOUNG PEOPLE FACING 
THE OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWING INTO 
STRONG CHRISTIAN CHARACTERS, 
IS THIS BOOKLET AFFEC- 
TIONATELY DEDICAT- 
ED BY THE 
AUTHOR 



COPYRIGHT BY J. ARTHUR HAMLETT, 1921 



£\l 



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Foreword 



rpjHIS publication is a collection of some of 
^ the things the author has suggested in 
JVj brief talks and editorials during the last 
year or two. It has been thought, by a good 
many who have read them, that at least the gist 
of them published in booklet form might be 
helpful to a large number of young people by 
way of suggestions which may lead to a more 
serious study of those things that tend to devel- 
op Christian character. The matter should have 
been worked over before being presented in 
this form, but the pressure of other work dur- 
ing recent months has prevented the author's 
doing this. So the author sends the booklet out 
with a knowledge of its limitations, but with a 
hope that it may have a sympathetic reading, 
and accomplish some good. 

J. AETHTJR HAMLETT. 

September 24, 1921. 
.Jackson, Tennessee. 



OCT -6)921 

§>C!.A624681 

"HO I 



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CLEAN WATER 

I MAN who lived near a small village had 

a well that furnished water which made 

$ the neighbors and visitors come there to 



drink. The water was drawn from the well 
by means of the old fashioned pump, and much 
of the man's time was spent at the well pump- 
ing water for the crowds who found it not an 
easy matter to get good, clean water elsewhere 
in the community. And this was a pleasure 
to the old man, for he felt that in suppling 
water for the neighborhood he was rendering a 
service that would be rewarded. All at once 
the crowd stopped coming in such large 
numbers and those who did come did 
not drink much water. This falling on: 
in the desire of the people to drink water 
from his well aroused the old man's curiosity. 
He examined his well, and found that the water 
had become very muddy and unclean. He 
would remedy that, and set about at once to 
do so. He bought some beautiful paint and 
put two heavy coats of it on the pump, which 
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gave it a most beautiful appearance. 
The beautifully painted pump attracted the 
passersby. Still the people refused to drink of 
the water from that well. The old man exam- 
ined again only to find that the water was still 
unclean, and the people, however much they 
admired the beautiful pump, would have none 
of his unclean water. He was seemingly at a 
loss what to do in order to restore the useful- 
ness of the well. Back in the head of a pecu- 
liar friend was a suggestion. He said very 
frankly and blunty : "You cannot get clean wa- 
ter by painting the pump; you must clean out 
the well." This statement, stripped of philoso- 
phy and poetry, was an exact diagnosis of the 
trouble. The onwer of the well got angry and 
said the man was trying to discredit his well, 
that what he had said would destroy the peo- 
ple ? s confidence in his well ; but even this abuse 
of the man did not get clean water. He got no 
clean water until he cleaned out the well. And 
so, clean water can't be gotten by repairing the 
pump or by painting it ; neither can it be gotten 
by fighting the man who tells exactly what the 
trouble is. The untarnished fact is, when a 
well becomes unclean and filthy, no clean water 
can come from it until it has been cleand out. 
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Further, when the people find out that a well 
is filthy, that it has in it something' that is rot- 
ten, they will not drink water from it, no 
matter whose well it is. And even the common 
people have sense enough to know that paint- 
ing the pump does not change 'the water. The 
way to get clean water is to keep the well clean. 



HE WOULD NOT DRINK 

Nestling among the small hills in a grove 
back from the public highway was a spring 
which bubbled and sparkled with fresh flowing 
water the year round. From it went a winding 
stream around a slight bend, over a huge rock 
and on down a narrow ravine, sparkling and 
bubbling as it went, quenching the thirst of all 
who bent over the stream to drink. The 
romping school children, the gay picnicers, the 
serious worshipers, the hunters, the cowboys, 
stopped to drink either from the spring itself, 
or from the stream which flowed from it. 
Thousands of throats were washed by that 
laughing stream, and they went on their jour- 
ney refreshed, but ever remembering that 
beautiful stream. The popular drinking spot 
was several hundred yards from the spring 
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which furnished the stream, and thousands 
who drank never saw the source of the stream 
nor its windings which emptied the water at 
the popular drinking spot. One day a man 
passed leisurely along making some observa- 
tions for his own use as well as for the use of 
his fellows. Between the spring and the 
popular drinking spot he saw a dead dog lying 
in the middle of the stream. He stopped and 
gazed at it a while to see if it was really a 
dead dog, and to see also if he could determine 
just how long it had been lying there in the 
stream. It was a real dog; it was rotten on 
the under side, and some what buried in the 
sancl, with the water bouncing over it on down 
the stream to quench the thirst of people. As 
he stepped forward to remove the dead dog 
from the stream, the owner of the dog yelled 
out "Halt! 7 ' and when the man looked up the 
owner was pointing two big revolvers in his 
face, and bidding him to move on. He hesi- 
tated a moment, and another man near by 
drew his revolver and came dashing toward the 
would-be-cleaner of the stream; and then he 
heard several gruff voices who seemed bent on 
preventing the removal of the dead dog from 
the stream. 



CLEAN WATEE 

The man moved on slowly, looking back. 
As lie walked down the stream he wondered 
what the romping school children, the gay pic- 
nicers, the serious worshipers, the hunters and 
the cowboys would think and do if they knew 
there was a dead, rotten dog in the stream a- 
bove. But they did not know it, and they 
drank from the stream and passed on with 
eager hope and buoyant outlook. 

The man stood around the popular drink- 
ing spot, always carrying his drinking water 
with him, watching the crowds go along, 
drinking from the stream in which back up 
yonder lay a dead, rotten dog, guarded by 
heavily armed men who would not allow it to 
be moved. The man's conduct became a little 
suspicious, and especially his refusal to drink 
from that stream. First, one and then an- 
other began to notice it, and finally it became 
pretty generally known that this man would 
not drink from that stream. His friends 
asked him to drink, but he shook his head. 
Coaxing him to drink did not avail. Why 
wouldn't he drink? Because there was a 
dead, rotten dog lying in the middle of the 
stream up above. He had seen it, he knew it 
was there, he had seen the water flowing over 
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it and around it; and while the water looked 
clean and fresh, he would not drink it, because 
that dead, rotten dog lay in the stream. 

The man is not to be blamed for not want- 
ing to drink from a stream in which he knew 
a dead, rotten dog lay; but he is to be blamed 
for not telling the other people about that dead 
dog lying in the stream. 



A DANGEROUS CHARACTER 

The city had grown in size, not only in 
population, but in the area covered by busi- 
ness establishments, and imposing mansions in 
well kept residential sections. Church and 
school buildings had not been wholly neglected 
in the growth of the city. From all external 
appearances things were in fair shape, still 
there seemed a growing distrust and a silent, 
but insistent questioning in the minds of the 
people. They felt they knew not what; and 
what was definite in their minds lacked ex- 
pression. One of the citizens, feeling deeply 
i:he heart yearnings of his fellowtownsmen, 
gave way to the pull of the challenge to speak. 
He looked around; he went over the city, mak- 
ing close obsrevations,and in some instances mi- 
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nute investigations of the conditions of the 
community, and through a keen analysis of 
them got a vision of the needs, at least some of 
them. The city government, especially in its 
executive function, had little respect for the 
people who supported it. The common peo- 
ple had no voice in the management of affairs, 
and they were regarded as instrumentalities 
instead of personalities. Taxes were imposed 
upon them, not too large in view of the com- 
munity needs, but unreasonable in view of the 
way they went. Public funds were perverted 
while outstanding community needs begged for 
attention. Heartless discrimination was being 
practiced in order to preserve a wicked oli- 
garchy. The people had a growing sense of 
moral pride but that was defied by the desper- 
ate schemes of corrupt leaders. The weak were 
made still weaker by greed and oppression. 
Homes were looted, widows outraged, young- 
sters bent and debauched while helpless chil- 
dren cried for bread. 

This citizen of conscience and moral earn- 
estness, with a vision of right and faith in 
its power, spoke out against this state of af- 
fairs, suggested a more civilized order and a 
nobler, higher and cleaner community life. He 
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advocated higher standards and purer ways of 
leading the people. What happened? The 
crooks, the wicked schemers, the grafters, the 
despots all agreed that "He is a dangerous 
character." 



HOSPITAL OR ARMY, WHICH? 

Some people call the church a hospital, not 
because it ought to be that, but because it re 
sembles a hospital, perhaps, more than it does 
anything else. Others, equally as sincere, call 
it an army not because it is, perhaps, but be- 
cause that is what, in their minds, it ought to 
be. Now in a sense it would seem that both 
are correct, that is the church has more than 
one feature in its program. The hospital fea- 
ture carries with it the idea of ministering to 
the sick and the helpless people, restoring them 
back to health and vigor. This implies sym- 
pathy, tenderness, pity, love— all this in action. 
The army feature carries with it the idea of 
crusade, marching, fighting and the like. This 
implies sense of right, sense of duty, conviction, 
courage, persistence, faith. The crusade is to 
be made, not against men. but against sin— 
against wrong ideas, low motives, selfishness, 
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immorality, graft, corruption and the like. 
Now, the church as a hospital, cannot do very 
much for sick folks if everybody in it is sick 
and suffering from the same disease; the effi- 
ciency of a hospital depends upon somebody 
being well, at least occasionally. When one 
who has been sick gets well he is expected to 
take his place among well folks and find his 
position on the working staff to minister unto 
others that they too might have their health. 
The church as an army cannot do much vig- 
orous marching and fighting if all the soldiers 
are crippled at the same time. "Water will 
seek its level in the army as anywhere else. 
If sin is to be checked, wrong ideals to be 
changed, and all the varied evils fought, there 
should be a sound soldier here and there. If 
one who has been crippled should gain his 
strength he is expected to find his place in the 
march. If one is afraid to fight against the 
evils in the church and in the world he should 
go back to the hospital and take his place 
among the afflicted and helpless. He cannot 
reasonably expect a soldier's reward unless he 
takes a soldier's fare and does a soldier's job. 
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THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ATTITUDE 

The unusual exegencies of the present day 
affect all departments of life and all organiza- 
tions and agencies seeking to know and im- 
prove conditions. Nothing escapes and no or- 
ganization is immune. A failure to recognize 
this fact may prove a handicap to any worker. 
The mere statement that the world order is 
being made over is now generally accepted 
without any marshalling of evidence. The very 
fact that it is being made over is itself a pro- 
test of the most vigorous sort against the old 
order as well as a sign of the passionate desire 
for a new, higher and nobler order. 

Individual efforts are most effective when 
linked with the efforts of the group, and the 
group may have reference to a race, organiza- 
tion, or departments of an organization. Very 
little any one person will be able to accomplish 
working apart from everybody else. World 
betterment should be the ultimate goal of all 
the endeavors put forth by any organization 
that claims the attention of the people, certain- 
ly this should be true of all religious organiza- 
tions. But careful examination reveals the 
fact that most organizations are far from what 
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they ought to be, that they have problems to 
be worked out, readjustments to be made, and 
that accessions to their equipment are needed. 
It is at this point where men come into notice, 
not always as they desire, but according to the 
very logic of the situation. It is at this point 
that they give a measure of themselves, tell 
who they are, what grasp and insight they pos- 
sess, the direction they are going. It may be 
well to remember that at this point things are 
not taken for granted, men must show who 
they are. It is just here that attitude becomes 
a great teacher. 

The attitude of some men is to ignore 
conditions as they exist. They may know that 
inequalities, injustices and other evils are ram- 
pant, but in their attitude and approach to 
things they ignore them. They treat them as 
if they did not exist. We must admit the 
personal ease and comfort one may sometimes 
get out of an attitude like that. We must 
admit also that cancers are not removed by ig- 
noring them, but there can be no sound health 
until they are removed. 

The attitude of other men is silent acqui- 
escence. They recognize the tyranny of a sit- 
uation, the unfavorable tendencies, the acute- 
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ness of problems. And in the face of these 
things they realize that there is a duty that 
somebody should perform. But they shrug 
their shoulders and move on off to their com- 
placent corner; and what is more, they seem 
very much surprised that everybody else does 
not follow them. They admit that certain 
tendencies are wrong and should be stopped, 
they admit that the efficiency of the church 
will be hampered until certain conditions are 
changed; but with another shrug of the shoul- 
ders they wave their hands and sit down. And 
they predict all sorts of dire results for others 
who mny feel like accepting the challenge of 
duty. 

There is another attitude that knows con- 
ditions, becomes disgusted with them, knows 
that no substantial progress will be made un- 
til they are changed, but will neither endure 
them nor help to remedy them. That class of 
men will kick clear out of gear with a disgust 
that is very pronounced and sit down and do 
nothing. They have the feeling that if some 
day things take a turn they will hitch up and 
pull again. But as for the duty and task at 
hand they will have none of it. 

Still another attiutde is one that sees and 
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understands that things are not as they should 
be; that there are weaknesses and imperfec- 
tions and maladjustments. But the only thing 
they, who have such attitude, seek to do is to 
criticise. They cry aloud and spare not. 
From early morn till late at night they are on 
their path of duty getting the people told 
about who is wrong and what is wrong. In 
fact with them the whole thing is collapse and 
chaos, a conglomerated, hopeless entanglement. 
With them nothing is right and nothing is go- 
ing to be right. They read only one side of 
the page; they know what ought not be done, 
but don't seem to know what ought to be 
done ! they know who is wrong, but don't seem 
to know who is right or what one should do to 
get right. 

Finally, there is another class of men who 
endeavor to make a serious, careful, impartial 
study of conditions and tendencies, and try to 
strike a balance and get a true appraisement. 
They seek to know the facts, not merely the 
facts that will support some attitude which 
they may assume, but facts that will acquaint 
them with what the real situation is in order 
that they may know just what attitude they 
ought to take. They make a survey of the 
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tendencies and study their causes. They seek 
to know what the real functions of the civiliz- 
ing agencies are; and if there be a lack of 
proper functioning, they are ready, not to give 
out destructive ultimatums; but to offer con- 
structive suggestions. If they find a wart they 
will not apply oil, but a knife, though not with 
any more malice than a physician lays a patient 
on the operation table. They seek to know 
what is best, not for themselves, but for the 
people whcse servants they are. They hear 
the call to duty, they feel the tremendous thrill 
of the challenge. They combine respect with 
frankness, tact with candor, friendship with 
duty, humility with courage, and move care- 
fully, patiently yet steadily and unswervingly 
forward, taking no suggestions that do -lot 
appeal to manly virtues. 



MOUNTAINS IN THE WAY 

No one who takes a serious look at life can 
escape the impression of its wonderful signifi- 
cance. No one who is awake can put to sleep the 
inner consciousness of the fact that life is 
progress. Things are constantly being re- 
vealed, things are being evolved, new modes of 
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living and acting push in whether they are 
wanted or not. Any one who will take the 
time to subtract what he is from what he 
ought to be will be surprised at the remainder. 
The same startling amazement will shake any 
organization, race or nation that will empl- y 
the same process. That remainder is signifi- 
cant. It tells that there is something to be 
done. Wiping out that remainder is the great 
task which every one faces as an individual or 
in his group life. But when the task is look- 
ed at seriously one discovers that there are 
mountains in the way. 

There is the mountain of customs. Cer- 
tain procedure and order of things may exist, 
not from necessity, but from custom. Meth- 
ods that have served their day and exhausted 
their influence will just hang on for the sake 
of custom. When one comes to think about 
it he reaches the opinion that he is almost a 
slave to custom. The Tightness and feasibility 
of many valuable and helpful things are denied 
and opposed for no other reason than that they 
have not been done, and, therefore, a depart- 
ure from custom. 

There is the mountain of pride. It is 
difficult to compute the harm that has been 
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done to many worthy movements by this moun- 
tain of pride, ever lifting its head to oppose the 
onward march of those who "know how to 
march. "We do not speak here of a certain 
Christian pride which one ought to possess, but 
of that arrogant, boasting, deceitful, selfish 
pride that starves and dwarfs the souls of men 
and makes them paupers in great Christian vir- 
tues. The pride that makes one think that 
he is the center of everything of which he : s 
a part, and therefore, everybody and every- 
thing must revolve around him,, is the kini 
that stands in the way. The pride that leaves 
a man unwilling to honor any suggestion or 
procedure that does not go forth from his brain 
has hampered the growth and efficiency of 
many organizations. That sort of pride pre- 
vents needed conference, mutual trust, broth- 
erly respect, and co-operation that should ob- 
tain, not only between individuals but between 
churches and other bodies working for the good 
of man. 

There is the mountain of prejudice. This 
mountain seems to be built out of steel, for it 
ever stands to impede the progress of humani- 
ty. It blinds man's conceptions of the great 
values of life. It influences his study of facts, 
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and conclusions as to the Christian methods of 
approach to world problems. It destroys the 
peace of religious groups, antagonizes inter- 
racial good will. It divides the church of 
God into fighting bands instead of making it 
a big powerful evangelizing agency. 

There are many other mountains in the way, 
but space forbids naming them here. The 
reader, perhaps, has here that which may 
awaken his own thoughts along this line. What 
must be done is to get these mountains out of 
the way. It is a huge task, ai*i will require 
patience, diligence, faith in God and heroic en- 
deavor. 



AMBITION. 

Ambition is a fine thing and no man should 
be without it, provided it is of the right sort. 
Ambition that seeks to know the people and to 
understand them to the end that one may bet- 
ter assist them in being what they ought to be 
is a fine ambition to have. Ambition that sends 
one out of one's way, through self-sacrifice, 
often humiliation, in order to help somebody, 
strikes us as being very laudable. Ambition 
to make a church organization a strong evan- 
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gelizing agency among men, and one that will 
make a definite contribution to the betterment 
of the world is worthy. 

Ambition like that has some outstanding 
marks. One is sincerity. It may seem to 
some difficult to be sincere, but it ought to be 
easy with the man who is unselfish and is will- 
ing to give his life for others. The habit of 
saying what one means and meaning what one 
says is the mark of the life that is really worth 
while. There is a dynamic in a sincere utter- 
ance that is captivating and convincing, even 
if it may appear strange at times. Deception 
is a bad thing, and nobody can practice it with- 
out weakening his character and destroying 
the effect of his service. Diplomacy is not a 
good substitute for sincerity. People believe 
more strongly in the man who tries to be sin- 
cere than they do in the one who tries to be 
diplomatic. We admit the necessity of tact 
in dealing with some difficult situations, but 
some how the people do not long keep con- 
fidence in the man whose chief stock is diplo- 
macy. Sincerity is a great element and gives 
value to character. In the final analysis the 
people want leaders who are sincere and whom 
they can trust. 

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Simplicity is another quality in the right 
sort of ambition. Strange, unusual, compli- 
cated things and sayings excite suspicion and 
distrust. If the object of one is to help it will 
be evidenced by the simplicity of his methods. 
That is an element which is needed in some 
preaching that pretends to be learned. If 
the object is to inspire and inform, the simplici- 
ty of expression will be employed. Ther.3 is an 
eloquence in simplicity that charms and is as- 
tonishingly helpful. The simplicity of action- 
is wondertully gripping. It invites people tft 
feel at ease and at home so to speak. We 
have observed how easy it is for men to get lost 
from the people whose confidence and loyally 
they seek, all because they forget how to be 
simple in their conduct and service. 



THE DEPTHS 

There are some deep things There are 
some fine and lasting values a good ways below 
the surface. And for that very reason some 
people do not find them. They who play in the 
shallows and scratch the surface will not get 
at the bottom of things, they cannot know 
life's great facts. But going to the depths is 
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not the job of the easy-going, the light-hearted; 
going to the depths requires plodding, dig- 
ging, sweating, insistence, power of endur- 
ance. Going to the depths cost time, pains, 
hard study, tears, sacrifice, blood. But it pays. 
These words will have no appeal to some peo- 
ple, for no matter what is said they are going 
to paddle around near the edge, they will be 
content to scratch the surface, they will play 
in the shallows. That is all right, provided 
they do not complain at the classification. And 
remember, classification is not based upon col- 
or, group affiliation, the bulk of one's finance 
or age — it is based upon vision, character and 
efficiency. It is based upon the capacity for find 
ing and appropriating the realities of life ; and 
they are not found by merely smiling, bowing, 
bending, twisting, playing and paddling; they 
are found by toiling, digging, diving, struggl- 
ing, enduring. 



BRING NO STAIN 

In the midst of the very eloquent and fer- 
vently earnest prayer of Bishop Nicholson at 
the -baccalaureate services for Garrett Biblical 
Institute, Evanston, Illinois on the first Sunday 
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in June, this passionate plea fell from his lips : 
" Father, we pray for these young men who are 
going out into the world as ambassadors of 
thine; grant that they may never bring any 
stain upon the church that has commissioned 
them, or upon the institution that is educating 
them." Whether actually uttered or not, we 
believe that that is the prayer breathed from 
all institutions of learning at commencement 
time when thousands of young people are sent 
forth to take their places on the program of 
the world's work. It is indeed a fine thing to 
have the chance to go to school and there get 
the spirit and attitude with which men and 
women may approach their life's task. It 
is a fine thing to have degrees conferred, to 
win honors, to win the plaudits of admiring 
friends. But unless graduates are shot through 
with the spirit of Bishop Nicholson's prayer 
they will be failures in life. Whatever may 
be the ambition that possesses young people as 
they go out from the colleges and universities, 
it is to be earnestly hoped that they go with 
the determination to "bring no stain upon the 
church that has commissioned them, or upon 
the school that has educated them." The 
church and institutions that send out into the 
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world men and women with that spirit and 
aim are rendering a great service to the world 
in this age of transition and reconstruction. 
"We can never build a new a better civilization 
with the forces that ramshacked the old. If 
there is any one thing the ehurch needs today 
for its great task, it is that type of leadership 
that "brings no stain upon the church that has 
commissioned them, or upon the institution that 
has educated them." 



WHEN YOUR NAME COMES UP 

The names of people are constantly coming 
up. They are mentioned, often discussed and 
sometimes they are the subjects of serious 
study. "When the name of Moses comes up 
the people think of the liberation of Israel, and 
writing the law; when the name of Solomon is 
mentioned they think of the magnificent temple 
erected under his leadership; When Isaiah's 
name comes up they think of a great body of 
prophetic writings; the name of Jesus brings 
to mind a great kingdom of righteousness; 
Saint Stephen's name suggests a list of Chris- 
tian martyrs ; when the name of Paul comes up 
they think of a powerful missionary endeavor 
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and the major portion of New Testament writ- 
ings ; when the names of Tertullian, Augustine, 
Nestorius come up they think of the early 
growth and struggles of the Christian church; 
the names of Wyclifr*, Huss, Luther bring to 
mind the great reformation; when the name 
of Columbus comes up they think of the dis- 
covery of America; George Washington's name 
brings up the founding of this great republic; 
Lincoln's name brings to memory the abolition 
of slavery; the name of Booker Washington 
makes people think of the wonderful develop- 
ment of the idea of industrial education. 

What do people think about when your 
name comes up? Do they think of wrecked 
homes, debauched charatcer and a great army 
of young people whose lives have been blighted 
by the bnneful influence of your life? or do they 
think cf fcrppy homes, richness and beauty of 
character you have helped to build by earnest, 
honest endeavor and the inspiration of a high 
purpose? What do the people think about 
when your name comes up? Do they think of 
i\:v church as a life-giving institution founded 
upon righteous principles, or do they think of 
it as a convenient society for shielding crime? 
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THE MINISTER OF TODAY. 

The claim made by some that the minister 
of today must be of a different type from the 
minister of many years ago should not be ac 
cepted without careful examination; the new 
gospel sometimes spoken of sounds funny with 
a good many people unless just what is meant 
by the term is made clear. We must be slow 
to emphasize the value of anything simply be- 
cause it may be new, or to discount a thing 
because it is old. Because a thing is new does 
not make it fit, and because it is old does not 
make it unfit. We must look for the value 
and utility in the quality and efficiency of men 
and institutions. So we need not turn a 
man down merely because he is old or hastily 
take up another because he is young. But we 
should be mightily concerned about the char- 
acter and efficiency of men. The minister, 
then, that is needed today is the minister who 
lives in the present age and who is able ade- 
quately to function for the promotion of 

Christ's Kingdom. The traditionalist is not 
much in place where progress is expected, and 
neither is the mere visionary. If a minister 
cannot live, think and serve for the solution of 
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present day problems he is not worth much be 
he old or young*. The gospel that is needed 
is one that comprehends the will, purpose and 
love of God and is interpreted to suit the needs 
of the present generation. Such a gospel need 
not be qualified by the word new or old. 
Simply the clear cut understanding and pre- 
sentation of the fact of two sets of forces in 
the world — one leading men to God, the other 
leading them from God. The triumph of one 
means error, darkness, hate, degradation, con- 
fusion, slavery, oppression and hell; the tri- 
umph of the other means truth, light, love, 
elevation, peace, freedom, virtue and heaven. 
The minister who preaches the gospel, by 
words and deeds, that will make people wish 
to become better and live in fellowship with 
God, is thr Minister of today. 



OPPORTUNITY 

Opportunity is a familiar word, perhaps, 
more familiar than its contents. People think 
and say much about opportunity. They want 
a chance. They complain when they don't get 
it. So few people seem to realize when their 
opportunity is at hand, and in just what way 
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CLEAN WATEE 
it may come to them. Opportunities do not 
come to all people in the same manner. One 
of the ways in which opportunity comes to 
you, dear reader, is when people wrong you, 
when somebody has mistreated you, whether 
intentionally or otherwise. Every wrong per- 
petrated against you presents to you an op- 
portunity. It is an opportunity to serve, to 
be helpful to the people who have wronged you. 
So, instead of thinking of the wrong they have 
done you, you should think of their need of 
which their wrong is the signal, because nobody 
will treat you wrong unless that somebody is 
greatly in need of enlightenment or the proper 
attitude. The people who misrteat you are 
either ignorant or willfully mean, and their 
wrong to you is a clear evidence of that fact. 
If they are ignorant, they should be enlighten- 
ed, and wherever there is a need, there is an op- 
portunity. If they need enlightenment, you 
should welcome the opportunity to assist in giv- 
ing it. On the other hand, if the ground of 
their wrong to you is downright meanness, then 
there is another chance for you to help them to 
nobler attitude of heart. It is in this light that 
we should seriously consider the wrongs done 
to us as we journey through life. Instead of 
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CLEAN WATEK 
thinking so much of the wrongs, we should 
think of the need of which the wrong is the 
evidence. If we take the wrongs people prac- 
tice against us as occasions for hatred, revenge, 
and retaliation, we are not only losing an op- 
portunity to help those people, we are sinking 
our own selves to their level. But if we 
should take the wrongs as signals for oppor- 
tunities, and proceed to render service that 
shall elevate those who are disposed to wrong 
us, we shall at the same time promote growth 
in our own souls, and set an example for those 
who may be inspired by our lives and habits. 



RELEASE THE ANGEL 

It is said that Michael Angel o stood one 
day gazing at a block of marble; some one 
saw him gazing at it and asked him what he 
saw, to which he replied, "I see an angel im- 
prisoned here, which I am going to release.' ' 

Others had seen that huge marble, but had 
they seen the angel? Perhaps not, or if they 
did it never occurred to them to take up the 
task of releasing it. There are huge blocks of 
humanity here and yonder; in the country, in 
the villages, in the towns and cities ; conditions 
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CLEAN WATEE 
around them in many cases are depressing and 
disheartening. Here is a young woman with 
excellent capacities; she is honest but poor; 
in her struggles does some one seek to release 
the angel or to crush it? Yonder is a young 
man who has the qualities in him to become a 
leader in some realm of human uplift. Per- 
haps he is fatherless and may not have many 
friends; he may be ignorant and poor. Is 
there the tendency on the part of the more for- 
tunate to release that angel or to starve it by 
indifference and discouragement? Jesus Christ 
is seeking through the church, through the 
schools and other Christian agencies to release 
the angel. Let the church be on the lookout 
for angels. Do not pass too hurriedly by 
blocks of humanity in the effort to gratify per- 
sonal, and often, wicked ambition. Stop even 
in the midst of the rush for wealth, power and 
honor, and gaze a while into the faces yonder 
in the colleges, in the Sunday schools, Epworth 
Leagues, on the streets, every where, and see 
if there are not angels to be released. Then, 
in God's name, release them! 



NOT WHAT IS EASY, BUT WHAT IS BEST 

Bishop McDowell is one of the intellectual 
30 



CLEAN WATER 
lights of the Methodist world. His learning, 
wide travel, varied contacts, multiplied rela 
tionships, careful investigation in several fields 
and great personality make him a man of more 
than ordainary power. A thinker, author, 
university lecturer, a preacher of renown, his 
voice rings clear, his pen is pungent, his words 
carry weight. In a recent article from his 
versatile pen we are struck with these words : 
"The church must not take counsel of its cau- 
tion and fear, but of its enterprise and cour- 
age. The real crisis is not material and finan- 
cial either in church or state. The real crisis 
is spiritual and intellectual. We shall be 
beaten if beaten at all in th.e minds and souls 
of us. And this is no day for the church of 
Jesus Christ to stand around asking counse 7 
of the uneasy and the afraid, especially of the 
financially timid. They are always ready to 
advise that we go slow. We cannot make a new 
world order with moderate men in the lead. 
Christianity is not a moderate system. In the 
light of Christ's conduct, this is the hour 
not to take the easy course but the best 
one." Only those who deal with the frivo- 
lous can read words like the above without 
turning them over and thinking a little Is 
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CLEAN WATEE 
it not a fact that a good many church people, 
even some leaders, are a bit tardy in under- 
standing that fundamental things which should 
engage the attention of the church today are 
big and eternal? Is there not too much 
scratching the surface and beating around on 
the rim? We are concerned about what is 
easy, what is charming, what will please and 
tickle, when we ought to be mightily concerned 
about what is right, what is just, what is fair, 
what is honest, what is lasting, what is best. 



CEASELESS STRUGGLE. 

A glance at history reveals a fact that is 
easily observed to day. That is struggle, hon- 
est, insistent, determined, is the price of pro- 
gress. No matter in what realm progress is 
aimed at there is that fierce and stubborn strug- 
gle. No matter who seeks it, whether individ- 
uals, group, or some organization, there is no 
getting any where without struggle. Men and 
principles that cannot endure the struggle 
leave no impact on civilization. And this 
gives the assurance that whatever may be put 
down as genuine progress has the lasting quali- 
ty and is fit to go on through eternity. 
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CLEAN WATER 
In the growing of a better and higher or- 
der there is the clash of ideas, the clash of 
ideals, the clash of principles. These all find 
expression through the conduct and activities 
of men. Even the very principles upon which 
an organization may be founded must engage 
in a ceaseless battle for existence. Take the 
church for instance. Here is an organization, 
founded upon truth, justice, righteousness, 
courage, fidelity, love, unselfishness. The 

church sets out to bring the world under the 
rule of these principles; and yet there is with- 
in the church that struggle in order to main- 
tain the very principles which it seeks to pro- 
mote. Truth and justice are opposed by 
falsehood and injustice; righteousness is stub- 
bornly opposed by all sorts of corruption and 
graft; courage is despised because it can't be 
courage and truckling cowardice at the same 
time ; love and unselfishness must battle against 
bold hatred and desperately wicked selfishness. 
All of this happens right in the church. This 
clash of principles comes through the activities 
of those who are expected to promote the true, 
the noble, the best. The encouraging thing is 
that in the midst of these conditions there are 
signs of real progress. 

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CLEAN WATEE 

HE WANTED TO BE NOTICED 

A story goes that a man who had a very 
exalted sense of his self-importance went into 
a barbershop one day to get a haircut. When 
the barber had finished cutting his hair he put 
some sweet smelling stuff on the man's head 
and face. For several hours this sweet smelling 
stuff perfumed the atmosphere wherever the 
man went. People noticed it and spoke of it, 
made complimentary remarks about it; all of 
which made the man feel like he was somebody 
sure enough. It was not long before others 
had found the same shop and enjoyed similar 
treatment; and soon the sweet smelling stuff 
that at first attracted so much attention became 
common and lost its peculiar charm. But this 
first gentleman still labored under the impres- 
sion that he was the only one who used that 
sort of perfume. What he still thought was 
novel, others treated as common, indeed, some 
had discarded it altogether. One day the 
man went to that same barbershop and finding 
the barber absent he helped himself to that 
same sweet smelling stuff, the odcr was loud 
and profusive. With bis s^, ■:? exaggerated 
notion of himself and not knowing that the 
34 



CLEAN WATER 
perfume had become so common so as not to 
attract attention, he stepped out on the street. 
Nobody paid any attention to him. He ob- 
served a crowd of men standing near, and he 
moved up close to them and lifted his hat ; they 
kept talking, but paid him no minc^. He then 
went over to a restaurant and sat down, remov- 
ing his hat. Nobody paid him any attention. 
Next he walked out where some young people 
were enjoying a game, br,t there he got no 
notice. As he walked back up the street he 
wondered why somebody had not noticed that 
he was bathed in that sweet smelling perfume. 
He then went over to one of the fashionable 
homes of the city. He was invited in, given 
a seat and accorded the usual exchange of 
health greetings. He pushed himself back in 
the chair with that same air of seF -importance, 
thinking that he would next hear some word 
of praise for his sweet smelling perfume. Still 
nobody paid him and his perfume any atten- 
tion. After sitting for more than an hour he 
asked for his hat to go; but stood at the door 
several minutes holding his hat in one hand, 
striking his other hand across his head occas- 
ionally hoping thereby to attract attention to 
his sweet smelling perfume; still no comment. 
35 



CLEAN WATER 
He then said to the people, "Well, I must go, 
but that perfume you smell is on me. ' ' 



"HE HAD COMPASSION ON THEM." 

At Capernaum the disciples gathered a- 
round Jesus and made a report of their work. 
They had had a measure of success. They 
had met conditions which presented needs the 
disciples could not satisfy Some of their ex- 
periences had been of such a nature as to raise 
questions in their minds about the movement 
to which they had committed their lives. Je- 
sus readily understood their perplexed situa- 
tion, and suggested a retreat where they might 
have a period of quiet reflection and heart-to- 
heart talk over those matters. They, with 
their Lord, got into a boat and pushed away to 
a desert place." The people saw them going. 
They felt the need of the message Christ was 
giving. They "ran on foot and outwent 
them." When Jesus and his disciples landed 
~n the shore of the lake a great multitude of 
people were there. They were there, not 

wholly out of mere curiosity, but out of a con- 
sciousness of a deep need that could be satis- 
fied by nobody but Jesus. Their needs vari- 
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CLEAN WATEE 
ed, but beneath them all was the desire for 
help. What happened? Jesus "had compas- 
sion on them, because they were as sheep not 
having a shepherd." Here Jesus was on his 
way to a "desert place" where he might have 
some time alone with his disciples. TLe peo- 
ple intruded, they were not willing for him t > 
leave them. Did their intrusion evoke con- 
tempt, anger or blunt rejection? No. Why 
not? Because Jesus was not an autocrat, not 
a despot ; he was a friend, he had a loving 
heart; and he "had compassion on them." 

Humanity today is sick, perplexed, heart 
sore, weary ; and here in lies a big opportunity 
for the church of Christ. There are many 
things to engage the attention and activities of 
the church and its leaders; but it would be 
tragic indeed if in its efforts to do big things 
in a material way, to outstrip and out run oth- 
ers, it should forget to "have compassion" on 
the great multitude of people who need love, 
light, inspiration, direction and comfort. Let 
us hope that the ministers of the gospel today 
are not too busy to look at the multitude and 
"have compassion on them." 
37 



CLEAN WATEK 

CASH OR CHARACTER, WHICH? 

Both of the above words are thought 
of in connecion with the program and activities 
of religions organizations. There is a place 
for both in the thinking, rnanning, and acting 
of the chnrch. Cash is necessary in building the 
material equipment of the church in order that 
it may carry out its mission. But there are 
times when an issue is drawn between cash and 
character in the church, times when one con- 
flicts with the other and the church must make 
a choice. At such times what is the duty of 
the church? Light upon what relation each 
bears to the church and what relation the 
church bears to each may help in reaching the 
right choice. While cash has a value in the 
operation of the church, it is not the end and 
object of religious programs. The church is 
God's agency for carrying out His purpose in 
the world, and that purpose is not to make 
cash, but to make character. So it is 
easy to see that cash is simply a means while 
Character is the end in the church. As long 
as the means serve to the end for which the 
church stands, well and good ; but when its use 
diverts attention from and really aims to defeat 
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CLEAN WATEE 
the true goal of the church, then it is time for 
the church to call a halt and replace its em- 
phasis. Whenever the church is called up- 
on to face an issue between cash and character 
there can be but one decent course open for 
men of high purpose and moral earnestness to 
take. Cash has its place and value in the 
church, but when the church ceases to empha- 
3r as its main duty it will not be 
ace in the confidence and sup- 
of the people ; and it will be well for lead- 
ers in the church to keep that thing in mind. 
Too much' laxity in the moral emphasis in the 
olrs teaching and acting will beget a dan- 
gerous suspicion and a weakenng distrust 
which will hamper the growth of the kingdom. 
; is the day when men's character must 
couj :::ore in the church than their cash. 



DIVISION AMONG THEM. 

Jesus Christ was constantly crossing the 
views and traditions of his day while doing 
the work that established him in the. minds of 
the people as the one who was sent to redeem 
men from their sins. His constant breaks 
with Phariasic customs and laws were not a 
39 



CLEAN WATEE 

matter of experiment, it was not done to show 
his wisdom and power; he simply went for- 
ward doing his duty to afflicted humanity, he 
went forward to begin a new order of things, 
and whatever got in his way was simply an 
occasion for conflict which he did not seek, but 
which he did not fear. One day he healed a 
blind man, and a stir resulted from it. The 
first attempt on the part of Christ's opposers 
was to prove that this was not the man that 
was born blind. But in this they failed, for 
the man was there to answer for himself. Ar- 
guing with a man who had received his sight 
against the deed was as silly as it was useless. 
Did he not know that he had been blind all his 
life! Did he not now have his sight? To 
grant the deed would strengthen the influence 
of Jesus. Others, just as much bent in dis- 
crediting him, said, "How can a man that is a 
sinner do such signs?" And so the record is, 
"There was a division among them." 

Precisely so. It was an awkward situa- 
tion for the opponents of Christ. If they 
charged him of being a fake, there was the 
man who could say, "I was blind, now I see." 
If they charged Christ with being a bad man, 
there was a curious query in the minds of the 
40 



CLEAN WATER 
people, "How can a bad man do these things ?" 
Evil-minded people have not found a very suc- 
cessful way to deal with the Christ spirit, un- 
less they are willing to be ruled by it. Good 
men and lofty principles get in their way, and 
when that happens there must be either a sur- 
render or a fight. Where the fight is between 
wickedness and righteousness, pure and simple, 
that is not so awkward; but where men who 
claim to be righteous undertake to fight the 
very thing they claim, the situation does pre- 
sent its embarrassments. No wonder there is 
"division among them." 



"TOO VAST FOR MALICIOUS DEALING" 

When weak-minded men tried to get Abra- 
ham Lincoln to deviate from what to him was 
right and just in a certain matter during his 
term as president of the United States, he firm- 
ly and resolutely replied : What I deal with is 
too vast for malicious dealing." Mighty words. 
But a mighty man spoke them. And his 
might did not come from a sense of 
his authority, but it came from a sense 
of right and justice that actuated him in his 
course ; his might did not come from the mere 
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CLEAN" WATER 
fact that the people had voted him into a high 
office, but from those qualities of head and 
heart which he possessed, that led the people 
to vote for him. He had a deep concern for 
the things he dealt with; and they were "too 
vast for malicious dealing/' 

Every man who occupies a position of 
trust should take an occasional look at the 
things he is dealing with. He may deal with 
the fortunes and hopes of thousands of young 
men and women; he may deal with the com- 
forts and opportunities of hundreds of preach- 
ers and their families; he may deal with the 
confidence of thousands who believe he will 
count one on the side of right ; he may deal 
with the anxieties and longings of the aged 
and helpless who listen for some voice and look 
for some hand to come to their rescue. And 
are these things to be bartered away for gold 
that cankers! Are they to be sacrificed upon 
the alter of greed and graft and selfish promo- 
tion? Soul of mine, canst thou speak as Abra- 
ham Lincoln did? Try it! "What I deal 
with is too vast for malicious dealing." 

DON'T BBEAK IN HIS HAND. 

A master sculptor was trying to Droduce a 
42 



CLEAN WATEK 
certain figure out of a huge stone. A glance 
at the stone revealed no likeness of the figure 
that was to be made. The figure was in the 
soul of the sculptor. The plan, in its outline 
and details, was there. He knew what could 
be done with the stone, and he was bringing 
it to pass. His plans, though perfect, could 
not be executed without tools. He had tools 
and was skillfully using them, and the work 
was progressing nicely. One of his tools broke 
in his hands ; another bent badly ; still another 
could not bring out the meaning he wanted to 
express in that figure. 

Jesus Christ, the master sculptor of human 
character and destiny, is trying to do certain 
things in this sin torn, confused, oppressive 
world of humanity. The thing He wants done 
can be done. The plans are well conceived in 
His own great mind ; the material though rough 
is capable of producing the characters outlined 
by his plans. But he must do this work with 
tools. The minister, the teacher, and the lay 
worker are tools. These tools are drawn from 
all walks and professions of of life. No matter 
what position one may hold in various organi- 
zations he is still a tool in Christ's hand for the 
working out of his plans for a redeemed world. 
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CLEAN WATEE 
Some tools break in his hands. That is always 
a tragedy. It retards the work. The tools 
of the sculptors referred to above were inani- 
mate, and had nothing to do with their mak- 
ing and their breaking could not be charged 
to them. But you, men and women of the 
cross, are living beings and do contribute to 
the strength of the tools you ar? in Christ's 
hands. Your braking in his hands is left to 
you. For the sake of the community where 
you live, for the sake of the great army of 
young people around you who need direction 
and inspiration, for the sake of the happy 
Christian homes Christ wants to build around 
you, for the sake of the complete redemption 
of all the people, don't break in his hands! 



IT TAKES A BIG MAN 

The church of Jesus Christ is set to do a 
big thing. It is to give Christ to. the world, 
and give the world to Christ. It is to bring 
the people into a knowledge of Christ and into 
love with his spirit and principles. It is to 
bring people to see the need, the wisdom and 
real benefits in living their lives in harmony 
with the standard set by Christ. All this has 
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CLEAN WATEE 
to be done through human beings. The mere 
teaching of abstract theories and defining prin- 
ciples simply in words will not do it. The 
people must be appealed to by the Christ life 
showing itself in others. It takes a big man 
to embody and exemplify the loving, self-for- 
getting spirit of Christ. It takes a big man 
to always wish others well. It takes a big 
man to look truth and right squarely in the 
face and with love and courage take a position 
that will mean growth to the kingdom of right- 
eousness. It takes a big man in the pastorate 
to hear his predecessor highly praised or 
his successor well spoken of by the people and 
really enjoy it. It takes a big man among 
any set of leaders to be constantly hearing 
and reading nice things about his colleagues 
and get real satisfying joy out of it. It takes 
a big man to put himself out of the way, even 
lay aside his own personal ambitions, when 
vital questions affecting the larger interests of 
the kingdom are involved. That is your op- 
portunity, reader. You can be cue of the big 
men in the church by setting for yourself a 
high moral standard, by making room in your 
heart for the spirit of the Master, by putting 
the interests of the church above your own, by 
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CLEAN WATEE 
considering some things too low a stoop for 
mere political advantage. The mission of the 
church is to give Jesns Christ to the world and 
to give the world to Jesns Christ, bnt it will 
take big men to do the job 



LAWS THAT CAN'T BE REPEALED 

In law making bodies where man performs, 
occasionally some nnwise laws get on the books. 
When the unwisdom of snch laws is demon- 
strated by their practical application, there is 
a reaction, and a sentiment developes which 
calls for the repeal of snch laws. That's the 
way of hnman progress- Bnt there are some 
laws which cannot be repealed. They were 
not made by man, they were handed to man. 
The wisdom of them was tested in that higher 
conncil. They come to man, not to be debat- 
ed, bnt to be kept. One is the law of love by 
which men may find entrance into the kingdom. 
This law applies to all and no one can get by 
without keeping it. There is a law of self 

denial. It is throngh this law men may have 
discipleship with onr Lord and Master. 
There is the law of sacrifice through which 
men find the true values of life. There is the 
46 



CLEAN W^TEE 
law of progress which requires character and 
efficiency. There is the law of retribution 
which provides that every man shall reap what 
he sows. These are not all, but enough to 
lead to inward study. These laws cannot be 
repealed even though they may stand in the 
way of men. It may be that some men will 
not love others; there may be others to whom 
the very thought of self-denial is repugnant; 
others may not know what sacrifice is; and 
doubtless there are a few who had gone a long 
way before they found out that they had to 
reap what they had been sowing, and might 
wish to call the law of reaping an unfair law. 
None of these conditions can alter the law in 
the least. These laws are eternal and un- 
changeable. Men may break them but they 
cannot repeal them and neither can they set 
them aside at will. No matter how much it 
may be seen that these laws stand in the way 
of some men; no matter how much these laws 
may reveal the unfitness of men for promo- 
tion and places of large responsibility, the 
laws cannot be repealed. 

CHANGS YOUE NAME OE HONOR IT 

It is said that Alexander the Great once 

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CLEAN WATEE 

became impatient with, the conduct of a name 
sake of his and admonished him in these words : 
"Change your name or learn to honor it." 
Alexander was concerned about the young 
man's conduct; he was concerned also about 
the name which he bore, and which he desired 
to pass on to coming generations untarnished. 
The conduct of the young man did not add dig- 
nity and glory to the name. And Alexander 
wanted a change, either in the young man's 
conduct or the name he bore. We can hard- 
ly blame Alexander, for no one should want a 
good name spoiled with imprudent conduct. 
Men and women of varied ranks and profess- 
ions are going about in the world living and 
serving, or facing an opportunity to do so. 
They carry about with them some name around 
which, perhaps, gather pleasant aud inspiring 
memories, names that stand for noble achieve- 
ments. It may be the name of some sainted 
hero, or some great college or university, or 
some church, certainly tbe name of Christ, pro- 
vided they are working in his cause. Some 
are ministers, some teachers, some doctors, 
some lawyers, some fill other callings. It is 
the duty of every one to do his level best. It is 
bis duty to honor the name he bears. And if 
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CLEAN WATEK 
he is not going to do that, he shovJd be willing 
to change his name. It is a glorious privilege 
one has to give a more exalted meaning to the 
name he bears, a privilege so to live and act as 
to make the name inspiring and send the peo- 
ple to a fresh study of its significance and 
glory. "Change your name or learn to honor 
it."' 



THE TWO O'S. 

The letter begins two very important 
words — opportunity and obligation. They go 
together and cannot well be understood apart 
from each other. With every opportunity 
there is an obligation, and every obligation pre- 
supposes an opportunity. Somehow there has 
come to be a strange fascination about the 
word opportunity among those with whom the 
other word makes very little, in some cases, 
no appeal. We have been trying to conceive 
of a thing that could be called a real oppor- 
tunity that did not involve obligation, and it 
has riot come to us that way. We are con- 
stantly met with the spectacle of looking on 
men who clamor for opportunity while at the 
same time they seek to avoid any obligation. 
49 



CLEAN WATER 
They want the opportunity of standing on top 
of a hill where they can get a clear view, but 
they don't want the duty of climbing that hill 
nor of doing the things which the clear view 
reveals that ought to be done. There is a ten- 
dency to associate opportunity with honor ra- 
ther than with obligation. Too many places 
and occasions in the church are looked at and 
sought as matters of honor rather than mat- 
ters of obligation and duty. "Pass the honor 
around 5 ' is a common expression and would 
seem to contain an element of justice; but 
when such is considered without any thought 
of duty it becomes almost disgusting. The 
chief function of the church of Jesus Christ is, 
not to honor designing men, but to honor the 
life and love of Christ by saving men who 
need that love and the inspiration of that life. 
"We can think of no place where the church 
properly functions primarily as a mere honor 
to selfish men. Jesus Christ refused to func- 
tion that way when he was in the flesh. Dis- 
ciple ship with him was then and is now one of 
service. 



CHOOSING A LEADER 

In his able sermon on baccalaureate day at 
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CLEAN WATER 
Northwestern University, Evanston, 111., Bish- 
op W. F. McDowell emphasized the proper 
choice in leadership. Among other things he 
said, "Your future will be determined by the 
leaders you choose to follow. ' ' It is not .strange 
that in the press report of the sermon that 
very feature was stressed. Every wide awake 
student of the times has come to see how in the 
thought of the world today emphasis is being 
placed upon the kind of leadership needed in 
this day of world rebuilding. It is not done 
with any intentional reflection upon choice 
spirits who Lave led in the past, it is rather a 
fit recognition of their noble service; it may 
also be a check en the tendency in both church 
and state to rely too much upon that leader- 
ship that is produced and maintained by cheap 
political methods. "But the fact that almost 
all organizations, both secular and religious, 
are giving special attention to that point today 
is a hopeful sign. It shows that people are 
coming to a larger appreciation of the big task 
of reconstructing the right sort of civilization. 
It shows what a tremendous value people put 
upon leadership. It shows that people have 
come to a clearer sense of the fact that they 
give a measure of themselves — how far they 
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CLEAN WATER 

have gone, how high they stand — by the lead 
ers they choose to follow. If the people could 
be separated from their choice of leaders, they 
might then feel inclined to be indifferent- But 
that is not the case. The mental attitude, 
the moral and spiritual ideals, the soul growth 
of any people are measured and expressed by 
their choice of leadership. In an age like this 
when the political and social hopes of the peo- 
ple are in the balance, when their capacity for 
moral growth and guidance to spiritual eleva- 
tion is being questioned on all sides, it is of 
vast importance that they should do their very 
best in every way to vindicate their claim to 
recognition. The words of the Bishop are 
weighty words. "Your future will be determ- 
ined by the leaders you choos? to follow.' ' 



THREE PLANES 

People as a rule do not move forward very 
rapidly without leadership. No proof is neces- 
sary for that. Their going forward depends 
not only upon leadership but the right sort of 
leadership. Observation will show that lead- 
ers live and work upon about three different 
planes. One is the below-average plane. They 
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who live and work upon that plane .are at a 
disadvantage as leaders because they are be- 
low and behind the people they are trying to 
lead. They who live their lives below the av- 
erage and are content with equipment that is 
below the average cannot lead the people, un- 
less they lead them backward; and this is not 
a backward age. Then, there is what may 
be called the average plane. Upon this plane 
will be found many who are trying to lead. 
They live average lives and are content with 
average ability to do things. They have ideals 
along with the masses, they get their convic- 
tions from the masses, and all their efforts are 
pitched upon the average plane. Such leaders 
are, perhaps, good company keepers, but they 
get the people not far ahead. They give a- 
bout what they receive. 

Again, there is the above-average plane. 
They who live and work there have something 
to offer the people thev lead. Thev have ideals 
and standards wL.on tend to lift the people. 
Their very lives make people wish to become 
better. Their words bear messages that gTr 
and stir and lift. Their deeds inspire and 
push others forward. They who have led to 
higher heights have been those who looked that 
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way and lived that way. Abraham, Moses, 
Hosea, Micah, Isaiah were above the average; 
Elijah and David were above the average; 
Amos, Peter, James, John and Panl were above 
the average. They lived carefully, thought 
seriously, planned wisely, worked courageous- 
ly. They led. 



A COWARD OE HERO, WHICH? 

There are two kinds of fear. What one 
becomes depends largely upon what kind of 
fear it is that influences his course and actions. 
There is a fear that weakens; it is the fear of 
not pleasing man, the fear of being opposed, 
the fear of authority that is lodged in mere 
office, the fear of sentiment, the fear of losing 
a place, the fear of being criticised, the fear 
of being sidetracked. That kind of fear is 
weakening, it vitiates moral power, under- 
mines sincerity, robs one of conviction, reduces 
one to the level of a machine without thought 
and purpose, and without influence. Any one 
dominated by that kind of fear is a coward. 

There is another kind of fear that makes 
one tremble even tho it makes him strong. It 
is the fear of not knowing what is right, hon- 
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est, and just ; the fear of not having the truth 
of any matter upon which he may he called to 
act; the fear of not living up to the light and 
truth he has ; the fear of not thinking his way 
through difficult problems and meeting them 
with Christian courage ; the fear that he might 
sometimes he silent when he should speak; the 
fear that he might bend often when he should 
stand erect ; the fear that he might be more in- 
fluenced by what sentiment is than by what it 
ought to be ; the fear that he might disappoint 
God by trying to please some earthly boss ; the 
fear that he might stop this side of his best. 
It is this kind of fear that makes men and wom- 
en who count in the onward march of civiliza- 
tion; it is this kind of fear that makes pioneers; 
it is this kind of fear that makes heroes. 

Now, reader, it is all right to fear, but what 
you are depends largely upon what it is you 
fear. Think the matter over and see whether 
you are a coward or a hero. And whether 
you think it over or not, others are doing it; 
and they are judging you by the kind of fear 
tkot seems to actuate your course. 

THE LESSON OF ALTERNATIVES 

In Dr. Rail's excellent book on "A Work 
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ing Faith" there is this very striking state- 
ment : ' ' The first lesson that a thinker on life 
must learn is the lesson of alternatives. We 
are always wanting character without struggle, 
love without pain, righteousness with no possi- 
bility of sin, the vision of the summit without 
the long climb." Is it not true that too many 
of us do fail to understand this lesson? Of 
course, that does not mean that because we 
don 't know the lesson we are to get along with- 
out meeting these alternatives. However 
much we may wish to see stars in day time, 
the fact remains that we don't see much of 
them until night, and darker the night the 
brighter the stars appear. Healtb does seem 
to have more value when it has been broken 
by a spell of sickness, and joy seems to have a 
deeper meaning after a night of sorrow. The 
mountain top vision is delightful and inspiring 
but that tedious climb! One d^es prize the 
value and loyalty of a true friend, but these 
are made more valuable when he experiences 
the sting of treachery, betrayal, dislovaliy. 
Strength is a splendid thing to have, but it 
comes by growth and growth comes through 
struggle The opportunity to fall is also the 
opportunity to stand ;the temptation to be weak 
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and vacillating is also the chance to be firm and 
straight forward. Well, what is the point? 
Simply this: We should not throw up our 
hands when the fight comes; we should not 
give down in the face of opposition ; we should 
not feel discouarged when night comes on; we 
L.hould not mistrust true friend? because there 
are false friends. Life is made up of altern- 
atives. If our lives are to have real meaning 
and value, we must endeavor to turn our ex- 
periences into strength. We must see through 
things, and we must go through things to suc- 
cess. There is one thing that we may not 
doubt, and that is the Lord will lay upon us no 
greater burden than He will give us strength 
to bear; but here, we must be keen to know 
the difference between the burdens imposed by 
duty and those brought on by reckless living 
Being prosecuted for sin is one thing and being 
persecuted for truth and right is another. It 
is our duty to move forward with the light and 
vision God gives us and make our lives worth 
while. 



EXPRESSION OF GRATITUDE 

'And one of them, when he saw he was 
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healed, turned back, with a loud voice glorify- 
ing God ; and he fell upon his face at his feet, 
giving him thanks; and he was a Samartian. ' ' 
This is the record of a man who had been help- 
ed by Christ, immediately following that par- 
ticular incident of help. This man along with 
nine others had the leprosy. The regulations 
regarding that disease made their situation 
very embarrassing, and one that provoked pity. 
They were denied the association of friends 
and even their own people,- and they "stood 
afar off." It is needless to speculate about 
what their desire was. They all wanted to be 
cleansed, and were willing to use any remedy 
that would give relief. Perhaps they felt 
that they would recognize a lasting debt of 
gratitude to any one who could offer them the 
help they so badly needed Christ and his 
disciples came along. These ten lepers ap- 
pealed to Christ for help ; their cry was one of 
deep humility and dependence. Christ gave 
them advice that led to their cure. When 
they discovered that they were cleansed, it 
was the time for thanksgiving. But only one 
of them accepted the opportunity and went 
back to thank the man who had helped him in 
the time of sore need; only one felt any desire 
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for the presence of Christ after he had blessed 
him and after he had gotten what he so 
much desired. This one man appreciated 
what Christ had done for him; the distressing 
experience of his affliction was fresh in his 
mind, and the man who came to his rescue in 
that critical hour could never be forgotten. If 
he had been ashamed of his malady, he was 
not now ashamed of his health, and he could 
never be ashamed of the one who gave him his 
health. He was not content with simply being 
grateful, he wanted Christ to know it, and he 
put himself to trouble that he might know it 
Sufficient had been the help that it made him 
bold to speak of it in words of praise, not only 
to Christ, but to others. In seeking Christ to 
say, "I thank you/' he did not consider criti- 
cism or danger; he considered his debt of grti- 
tude to Christ. His attitude was not influ- 
enced by the attitude of others, but rather by 
what Christ had meant to him. When he 
found Christ he did not wait to see whether he 
was surrounded by friends or foes, he fell 
down at his feet and gave him thanks. 

REPEL AND ATTRACT 

Light repels some people. It has the 
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quality of opening up things to view that are 
decidely objectionable to a great many people. 
This opposition to light manifests itself in vari- 
ous fields of human activities. The effort to 
obscure, becloud, confuse things seem to be the 
delight among some people; they like to sup- 
press the light and embarrass the instruments 
of light, or worse, smash them. There may be 
truth but they don't want it told; there may 
be facts which will give proper and needed in- 
formation but they would rather not have them 
in the records, or if there, they suppress the 
records. Some confused f.nd dark situations 
might be cleared up by letting in the light but 
they don't want the light, and don't want those 
who love the light. Why is this? The Gos- 
pel according to Saint John, third chapter and 
nineteenth verse answers: "Men loved dark- 
ness rather than light; for their works were 
evil." 

The same light that repels some peo- 
ple, attracts others. And herein lies the hope 
of any organization, of any nation, yea, the 
hope of the world. There are people, thank 
God! who are attracted by the light. They 
want light and seek it, and are happy when 
they have found it. And when they have 
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found it they set out to bring others unto the 
same light. The appearance of light with its 
searching rays has no terrors for them; they 
feel no sense of fear when the light increases 
it's brightness. The more it shines, the more 
they want it to shine. They seek not to ob- 
scure the light nor oppress those who are at- 
tracted by it. They believe in progress and 
feel that light is essential to progress. They 
believe in order, growth and freedom; and 
light is conducive to these things. Why is 
this? The Gospel answers: "But he that 
doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his 
works may be made manifest, that they have 
been wrought in God." 

"I HAVE MY REWARD." 

One of two brothers, fighting in the same 
company in the French army, fell by a Ger- 
man bullet. The one who escaped asked per- 
mission of his officer to go and bring in his 
brother. "He is probably dead," said the 
officer, "and there is no use in risking your 
life to bring in his body." After further 
pleading, the officer consented, and the man 
went to the rescue of his wounded brother. 
Just as he reached the camp with his brother 
on his shoulders, the wounded man died. 
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"There you see," said the officer, "you risked 
your life for nothing." "No," replied Tom, 
"I did what he expected of me, and I have my 
reward. When I crept up to him and took 
him in my arms he said: 'Tom I knew you 
would come, I just knew you Would come.' " 
Is it worth while to advocate a cause that is 
right even tho it may be for the time unpopu- 
lar? Is it worth while to go to the rescue of a 
humble brother in the trenches when his life 
is being crushed out by heartless wicked des- 
potic rule? Is it worth while to take a stand 
against corruption when men, for selfish ends, 
will connive with it and even seek to promote 
it? Is it worth while to risk your life for 
any of these things when the attitude of sor 
good men makes you rub the dust off of you-- 
glasses so as to get a real good look at them? 
Yes, it is worth while. Elijah thought so j 
Amos and Hosea thought so: Jesus thought so; 
Paul and other apostles thought so; >Knox, 
Luther and the Wesleys thought so; Huss, Sav- 
anorola and Hugh Latimer thought so ; Phil- 
lips, Garrison and Lincoln thought so ■ and 
there are men who still think so. To be 
thought of as a Christian; to be regarded as a 
manly man; to escape the odium that collects 
about one who wabbles, ber.ding his back and 
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belly too, trying to please everybody and 
pleases nobody; to make it inconvenient for 
even enemies to charge one with "pussyfoot- 
ing" on vital matters; to have a place in the 
hearts and confidence of the people; these 
things, surely, constitute some kind of a re- 
ward. 

THE SCAFFOLDING 

In building a house the carpenter must 
have a place to construct it, material with 
which to erect it, tools with which to do the 
work. Of course building sense must run 
through the whole business. He is at the 
place, has the material, the tools and the sense. 
He puts in the foundation, then follows the 
superstructure. In carrying up the building 
he must have scaffolds around it. The scaf- 
folds must be sufficient to bear up the material, 
and the workmen; and the scaffolds must go 
as high as the building goes. Now what re- 
lation does the scaffold bear to the main build- 
ing? It is very essential until the building is 
completed, and then the scaffolding is torn 
down and the material thrown into the rub- 
bish, unless it is kept for use on another build- 
ing. The material in the scaffolding cannot 
go into the foundation because the founda* 
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tion, as a rule, is laid before the scaffold goes 
up ; it cannot very well go into the superstruc- 
ture because it is by the support of the scaf- 
fold that the superstructure goes up, and it is 
about done before the scaffold can be dispensed 
with. So the material that goes into the scaf- 
fold serves the purpose of the builder as simp- 
ly scaffolding material. It is true the building 
is what attracts the gaze of the passing multi- 
tudes and upon which they shower their praise. 
People go to the building for shelter, for pro- 
tection and for other blessings which a build- 
ing is expected to afford. Who cares about 
the scaffold except that it be gotten out of the 
way so that it may not mar the beautiful sur- 
roundings of the buildings? "Tear down the 
scaffold and throw the material away" repre- 
sents the attitude of the people who behold the 
building. Poor scaffold! Unnoticed, unde- 
sired, thrown away ! And yet, could the build- 
ing come to reality without the scaffold ? And 
for that reason is not the scaffold important? 
Then, could a scaffold be constructed without 
material? That community structure of high 
morals and civic righteousness! That world 
empire where Chrst is King ! Can they be 
built without scaffolds ? And who is willing 
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to be simply scaffolding material in this great 
business of making this world a fit place in 
which to live? The superstructure is needed, it 
will be a thing of beauty, it will attract; and 
they are plentiful who wish to appear in the 
building ; but who, in the name of the Lord Je- 
sus, will compose the scaffold? 

HAVE HIGH DREAMS. 

Some people seem not to dream much at 
all, and as a rule they do not get much accom- 
plished. Others dream a great deal, but their 
dreams are low, and the result is that what 
their dreams lead them to do is not very im- 
portant and has little siguificance for the on- 
ward marching millions. Still, others have 
high dreams, and are constantly living in high 
hopes of realizing those dreams. 

Now there is advantage in high dreaming. 
It lets one into the association of choice spirits 
of all ages. It takes one out of the circle of 
low, morbid ideas and conceptions. It estab- 
lishes the fact, not only of capacity, but willing- 
ness to think of the best. High dreaming 
gives one, not only a high degree of public re- 
spect, it gives him an inspiring self-respect. 
Dreams are not realities, but they lead toward 
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them. The fact that one may not fully realize 
his dreams makes it all the more important that 
his dreams be high. If what one may be is 
less than what he dreams, then low, trivial 
dreaming is suspicions, while high dreaming is 
challenging. The range and height of one's 
dreams will indicate his attitude, his character ; 
and what one is either gives power to what he 
does or detracts power from what he does. 
Mere dreamers are not wholly without value, 
but those who do constructive dreaming and 
have the capacity for realizing, at least in 
part, their dreams are the ones who push for- 
ward the wheels of progress. 

This is a great age, madr so by what it has 
inherited fr;.iia the past and by the relation it 
sustains to the future. They who live today 
live in the midst of most wonderful opportuni- 
ties — opportunities for making a worthy con- 
tribution to the progress of the world's work. 
The noble things of the past have not been 
wrought by low dreamers, and the big things 
to be accomplished today will not be inspired 
by low dreaming. The wheels of progress do 
not move backward and neither do they stand 
still; they move forward. They who lead in 
the march must have high dreams. 
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DENY THYSELF 

Henri Frederic Amiel of Switzerland, who 
passed to his reward in 1881. was a man of ex- 
ceptional literary attainments and rich relig- 
ious experience. On May 3, 1849 he wrote in 
his journal the following words: "Deny thy- 
self and accept your cup, with its sweet or its 
bitter, no matter what it may be Bring God 
down into your soul, penetrate yourself with 
the perfume of His presence, make a temple of 
your soul for the Holy Ghost to dwell therein. 
Do good works, make others happy and better. 
Have no longer any personal ambit ion,and then 
whatever may happen, living or dying, conso- 
lation shall be yours." Beautiful words are 
these ! beautiful sentiments do they express. 
Big soul, indeed, that sent +hem forth, though 
not intentionally, perhaps, that others might 
read them and be inspired and uplifted. 

Christ taught self-denial, but we some- 
times so emphasize the Divine side of Christ's 
life until we fail to see his humanity coming 
to such beauty and power through self-denial. 
And so, we pat ourselves on the shoulder and 
say, "Yes, beautiful ideal, but we live in an 
unideal world." It is good sometimes to stop 
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and think a little. Is there much growth in 
anybody who is content to follow a low ideal? 
Do we not often overlook the things ^iat are 
by us to help us, by constantly dwelling on 
our hindrances? A lump of sugar dropped 
into a cup of bitter tea must lose its form and 
identity in order to sweeten the tea. It must 
give itslef away or else the tea will remain bit- 
ter. Drop a good man or a good woman into 
a community or an organization, there will be 
two courses open: he can be careful to take 
care of his personal ambition, or he can give 
his life in service to make conditions better. 
He will hardly have outstanding success at do- 
ing both. 



WILDERNESS, MOUNTAIN, GARDEN 

The temptation of Christ in the wilderness 
pictures him facing the issue as to the charac- 
ter of his kingdom and his method of bringing 
it about. He could have turned stones to 
bread, thus satisfying the material conception 
of his power and purpose, or he could refuse 
to make material things the basis of his activ- 
ly, and listen to the high spiritual impulses 
which help one to decide that there is some- 
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thing higher to live for than mere bread. Ho 
could have performed a curious stunt before 
the people by falling from the top of the tem- 
ple without injury, thus satisfying vain pub- 
lic craze for a wonder worker on a low mot- 
ive, or he could work along righteous lines and 
leave his success to the influence of spiritual 
forces. He could have fallen down in obes- 
iance to Satan and gained possession of the 
kingdoms of the world, or he could refuse to 
bow and face the cruel opposition, bitter 
treachery and betrayal and win the admiration 
of the world by the manner in which he endur- 
ed them. It was a crisis hour. Christ won 
<mt. 

On the mountain of transfiguration Christ 
faced the chance to have enthusiasts build tab- 
ernacles, and dwell there and receive the flat- 
tery of those misguided, but earnest men the 
balance of his days, or he could go back to the 
valley below and give himself in service that 
the sick, blind, lame, poor and helpless might 
have a fair chance in life. It was a crisis 
hour. Christ won out. The cause of the peo- 
ple down below triumphed 

In the garden Christ faced the opportuni- 
ty of saving himself or saving others. The 
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authorities cared not so much about putting 
him to death as they did about getting him out 
of their way. It would do them more good to 
see Christ run than to see him die. Christ 
could have run; he could have left the com- 
munity, or he could have ceased teaching and 
kept silent, and probably the opposition would 
have ended. He realized that as he went into 
the garden to think the matter through and to 
pray over it. The question was, "Must I run 
or die; must I apologize for the truth I have 
already spoken and quit or stand by it and suf- 
fer ; must I let the cup pass or drink it ? The 
questions lose their force if one thinks only of 
the cross. There was something deeper than 
the mere cross itself, notwithstanding its tor- 
ture and ignominy. At that very hour one of 
his disciples was selling him for silver, another 
would soon deny him; the three most near him 
were too dull and indifferent to encourage by 
their watchfulness. The treachery of the lead- 
ers was cruel, the people were not apprecia- 
tive — ''must I step aside and be done with the 
the whole affair; must I run and be free; must 
I quit ? or must I face this matter for men who 
betray and sell me; for men who will desert 
me; for people who seem indifferent? No 
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wonder he cried, "My soul is exceeding sorrow- 
ful unto death.*' And it is a great blessing 
to the world that he said, "Not my will, but 
Thine be done." Christ won out. The peo- 
ple won through him. 



CHRISTIAN BROTHERHOOD 

The real Christ spirit tends to unite men 
in a brotherhood. It is a brotherhood that is 
universal in its sweep, looks to God as the Fath- 
er and bears the name Christian. It surpasses 
industrial brotherhood, political brotherhood, 
social brotherhood, in fact, it surpasses all. 
The principles of Christian brotherhood are too 
high, too deep, too broad to admit of distinc- 
tion based upon rfle A or p.reed. People who 
are willing to know the will of Cod in order 
that they may do it, people who have the ca- 
pacity for love and justice embodied in Jesus 
Christ, and for growth into his likeness may 
be admitted to the Chrsitian brotherhood. The 
church is an instrument to help produce such 
a brotherhood. There may be found in all 
church groups those whose capacity for Chris- 
tian principles is not as large as others; but 
this does not argue against the power of Chris- 
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tianity. Jesus not only had high ethical and 
religious ideals and the courage to live up to 
them and to inspire others so to do, he also had 
patience with those who found it difficult to 
grasp those big ideals. The fact that some 
people may not be as big and broad in their 
Christian thinking and acting as others is not 
to deny their membership in the Christian 
britherhood; it is rather an evidence that there 
are degrees in capacity for Christian growth. 
Men are admitted to this brotherhood, not al- 
ways because they are good, but sometimes in 
order that they may have a chance to become 
good. The church must keep in mind the fact 
that it does not exist as an end in itself, but 
as a means to an end ; it is not something to be 
preserved and adorned for its own sake, not 
something to be kept as a sort of memento of 
saints who lived years ago ; it is an institution 
of service, whose function is to bring the King- 
dom of God among the people. It is to ac- 
quaint the people with God, acquaint them 
with Jesus Christ and to train them for a place 
in the Christian brotherhood. 



MARTIN LUTHER. 

The life of Martin Luther made a new 

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epoch in the history of the world. His was a 
great soul that threw itself into the solution of 
a great religious problem. If he made some mis- 
takes in his methods of approach to his problem 
he made no mistake in knowing what that prob- 
lem was. There may have been just grounds 
for criticising some of the details of his pro- 
gram but no valid reason for with-holding 
praise for the outstanding purpose of it. There 
may have been limitations in his equipment, 
and tardy recognition of the greatness of the 
man, but no limitations in tt e abundance of the 
blessings which have flowed out of his great 
life and service. Luther had a knowledge of 
the people of his time, their manner of living 
and feeling, that those who opposed him did 
not have. He had vision and was able to give 
that vision to others. He had strength that 
came from intellectual attainments and cul- 
ture, but his greatest strength came from a 
consciousness of God's presence in his life. 
His heart felt the mighty touch of the Eternal 
and it gave him a courage that baffled the 
world. His decisions were not the result of 
momentary impulse or of fleeting excitement; 
out of the serious study and constant reflection 
of God's goodness, purpose and power in his 
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life. He was not his own, he belonged to 
God. He lived not for himself, but for gen- 
erations. He gave his life not merely to his 
time, but to the ages. He had convictions and 
the moral courage to express them He knew 
no fear except the fear of not doing the will 
of God. He was willing to sacrifice his per- 
sonal comforts and ambition for a great cause. 
Wherever lie saw a moral and religious wrong 
he was ready to fight it, and all the artillery of 
hell could not daunt him. He spoke the truth, 
not merely because he wanted to, but because 
he had to. He stood for the right because as 
he said, ''God helping me T can do no other." 



MORE THAN SACRIFICE 

Sacrifice is a beautiful word and has a 
gripping content to those who have any sort of 
mastery over their lower selves and are recon- 
ciled to an element without which there can 
be no real fellowship with Christ, our Lord. 
The man who can truthfully say he has made 
a sacrifice for a good cause ought to be allow- 
ed feel proud of it. But is there not some- 
thing more than sacrifice, or in other words, 
will not the term admit of a much larger con- 
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tent than is ordinarily applied? Sacrifice is 
usually interpreted as the renunciation of low- 
er aims and purposes as the inevitable price of 
the pursuit of an ideal. But we must make 
room for something more. There is the cheer- 
ful acceptance of the unpleasant consequences 
in misunderstanding, bitter criticism and stub- 
born opposition which follow from seeking the 
realization of an ideal in direct conflict with 
prevailing tendencies and desires of one's fel- 
lows. It is easy to follow the line of least re- 
sistance, but if a man follows such a line be- 
cause it is easy, what growth will he experience 
and what worthy contribution will he make to 
the kingdom of justice and righteousness? 
Floating down stream with a swift current 
hardly develops capacity for swimming, and 
neither does it get one nearer the true goal of 
life. If a man can be certain of a high, noble 
purpose ; if he can be possessed with the spirit 
of humility and unselfishness; if the question 
of expediency, with the personal element, is 
about the only one that baffles, what is his 
duty? The kingdom of God is to come upon 
earth through men, but not through men who 
hokl their peace, and neither through men who 
cry "peace when there is no peace." It must 
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come through Christian lives spent in service. 



THE LIVING CHRIST 

The best evidence that Christ arose from 
the dead is that he lived after he was crucified, 
and still lives. The best evidence that one is 
fully conscious of a living Christ is that he is 
an example of what a living Christ can do thru 
one who believes in him and lives as he believes. 
He who must depend upon the written record, 
however valid, to substantiate his faith in a liv- 
ing Christ can't be a very strong witness. One 
must be living that kind of life and doing that 
sort of service and doing it in that fashion that 
cannot be explained upon any other basis ex- 
cept the living Christ. Where Christ really 
lives there must be high motives, spiritual 
depths, moral passion and earnestness that com- 
pel admiration. There is something about 
Truth, Love and Right that will win when they 
are given the right of way in one's life. The 
very presence of Truth is a rebuke to error; 
the very presence of Love dispels hatred and 
envy; no one can live for the right and work 
for the triumph of the right without by that 
very living and serving be a condemnation of 
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the wrong. A dead Christ would likely be 
satisfied with a world of low ideals, impure 
motives, wrong conception, degraded tenden- 
cies, sin, death and hell. But a living Christ 
makes a change in things and conditions. A 
living Christ makes a change in people, in 
their will and ways. Herein lies their tesi- 
mony of a resurrected Christ. If people really 
believe in the resurrection of Jesus, they will 
evidence it by living and serving for a Christ 
who is alive and not one who is still dead. 
Where else should be found living, vital evi- 
dences of the resurrection of Jesus as in the 
church ? If the church believes the gospel 
it preaches the world looks for the evidence in 
its conduct. 



THE WEIGHT OF THE CROSS 

Christ's cross was heavy but it was not 
merely the wood that made it so, it was the 
world. In a real sense the cross was not made 
of wood — the wood symbolized it — the real 
cross was made of the world. It was not the 
size of the wood that gave weight to the cross 
which Christ bore, it was the size of the world 
of sin. It was not the shape of the wood that 
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CLEAN WATEB 
made it inconvenient to carry, it was the shape 
of men — their low ideals, their perverted con- 
ceptions of Christ, the King, their attitude to- 
ward him; it was the stubbornness of their 
conceit and the blackness of their treachery 
that made the cross heavy and inconvenient to 
bear. Friends, ye devout follows of the bless- 
ed Jesus, do you rejoice in the privilege of go- 
ing with him in a fellowship of suffering and 
cross bearing? Herein is the test of your 
diseipleship. With you, as with Jesus, the 
cross will be heavy, not because of the wood, 
but because of the world; not because of the 
difficult task you are trying to do, but because 
of men's attitude toward it. Do not stumble, 
then, if you find it so. Kemember, too, that it 
is not the size of your cross that tests your 
strength, it is the composition of it. Rememb- 
er, also, that your strength will 'be judged, not 
in the mere fact that you are bearing your 
cross, but in the spirit in which you are doing 
it. The cross in Christ's life was not the wood 
to which he was fastened on Calvary — that was 
a mere incident — it was the cross spirit that 
ran through his enitre life. It was his willing- 
ness always to pay with his life the price of his 
devotion to a high ideal. 
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CLEAN WATEB 
"I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD." 

Christ had been speaking to his disciples 
about some of the hardships and trials they 
would meet in the world, but encouraged them 
to go straight forward facing those things and 
doing their duty to the end, giving as a reason 
for such advice the declaration stated above — 
"I have overcome the world." Had Christ 
really overcome the world 1 It certainly did 
not look that way. He had come to his own 
and they had not received him; he had spoken 
of truth, light, life and love, all of which had 
aroused indignation in the hearts of the lead- 
ers. He had given himself in fellowship and 
service to a few men who had been with him 
for some time; he had loved them, trusted 
them, caught them, and in many ways had 
been a blessing to them. And even they did 
not understand his purpose and mission well 
enough to fully appreciate his friendship and 
devotion. One of them would sell him for 
silver, another would deny him in a critical 
hour, others would be too heavy with sleep to 
watch with him even an hour, still others 
would run at the least sign of danger. He 
would soon go to the cross for the very people 
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CLEAN WATEE 
who did not appreciate his loving interest in 
them. It certainly didn't look like he had 
"overcome the world." But he had. How! 
He had definitely decided to live for the 
achievement of Truth, Justice and Love among 
the people. He had definitely decided to win 
a place in the hearts of men, not by force, not 
by intrigue, not by suppression and violence, 
but by a service motived by love and by a de- 
votion to right sealed by willing sacrifice. He 
had definitely decided to be, not merely a 
bread winner, but a soul winner, not an acro- 
Dat but a firm friend of Truth and Right. He 
had definitely decided not to bow to corrupt 
leaders, but to accept right as his rule of action. 
He had definitely decided not to drop the load 
made heavy by the cruel treachery of men, but 
to carry it even if he had to sweat blood. He 
had definitely decided not to put the cup from 
his lips because it was bitter, but to drink it to 
the dregs for redemption of mankind. In that 
decision he had trulv, "overcome the world." 



80 

C. M. E. PUBLISHING HOUSE, JACKSON, TENN. 



